Archive for the ‘Press Coverage’ Category

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of chatting with some of the members of the dark reggae/hard groove band from Maryland known as Lionize. The quartet recently played at NYC’s Webster Hall, where they opened for Fair To Midland. I talked with frontman Nate Bergman and keyboardist Chris Brooks at the show about touring, the writing process, and some of their influences and aspirations. Perhaps it’s their upbeat mentality or the overall sound they belt out but whatever the case may be, Lionize is the type of band that can be appreciated for what they do. The conversation is below.

I don’t sit down and listen to a whole reggae album. I just don’t. It’s not that I don’t have an appreciation for the genre, but every reggae album I’ve listened to didn’t have enough variety to keep me interested for a full forty-five minutes. I was happy to be proven wrong by Lionize’s recent Pentimento Music Company debut, “Superczar And The Vulture.”

Superczar & the Vulture has been added to the Fearless Radio catalog and into regular rotation at the station. Friends and fans can request music Monday through Saturday on our TweeQuest show. The show airs from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. CST. To request music fans can tweet @fearlessradio (twitter.com/fearlessradio) or call 312.489.8455 and hit ext. 1 to get to the studio DJ.

The four (and sometimes) five piece reggae-rock LIONIZE from Maryland have made a major statement for themselves in the national music scene with a tireless work ethic that delivered over 250 gigs last year, as well as two full releases in 2011: Destruction Manual in February and Superczar & The Vulture in December. They are also one of the few bands that provided me with a “Holy crap these guys are freakin’ good!” moment at last year’s Warped Tour. Here is what bassist Henry Upton and guitarist Nate Bergman had to say about LIONIZE:

Bands who combine Clutch-style boogie rock with reggae dub aren’t exactly a thriving subgenre in the alternative music world. In fact, we’re not even sure there’s been a genre pegged for the kind of multifaceted rock that Lionize crank out on Superczar And The Vulture, but we’re about to peg it with one. Boogie-dub. Bow-worthy, bass-drenched boogie-dub with off-kilter lyrics that would make Neil Fallon double-check his notes for potential copyright infringement while the members and ex-members of bands like Bad Brains and the Clash—and even classic rockers like Canned Heat and Savoy Brown—shake their heads and wish they’d thought of that. Read More >

Fresh off the release of their critically acclaimed new record, Superczar and The Vulture, on Pentimento Music Company last month and a long stint on the road supporting such acts as Lucero, Streetlight Manifesto, Reel Big Fish, Clutch, and Corrosion of Conformity, genre-bending reggae/rock band Lionize… Read Full Story >